a. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related generally to the reclamation of materials; and more particularly, to an apparatus for reclaiming the material remaining on nearly expired material cores.
b. Background of the Art
Material reclamation reduces material expenditures, increases profits, and conserves natural resources. In the printing industry, paper is one material that is reclaimed and recycled.
Materials, such as textiles, plastics sheets, metal foils, and paper are commonly supplied to industrial users as large material rolls. These material rolls are used in large-scale commercial manufacturing. For example, books, periodicals, and newspapers are printed on large industrial printing presses. Large rolls of paper supply the paper to these presses. These paper rolls have diameters of up to 40 inches, and weigh as much as 2500 pounds. The paper is wound on a cylinder made of cardboard fiber or steel that is the exact width of the roll. This is commonly referred to as the core.
In industrial printing applications, the paper roll is positioned on an air shaft or between chucks at the roll changers and the leading edge of the paper from the paper roll is threaded through the printing press. The press then, when operating, automatically unwinds the bulk of the paper from the paper roll. When the paper roll is nearly exhausted of paper, e.g., when from about one-half to about on inch of paper remains wound about the metal or cardboard core which is at the center of the paper roll, the expiring paper roll is replaced with a fresh paper roll. The paper remaining on the expiring paper roll is then reclaimed. The metal cylinder onto which the paper is wound is also salvaged and recycled.
Occasionally, entire paper rolls are damaged during milling or subsequent handling. Damaged or inferior quality paper is unsatisfactory for most printing purposes. Similarly to expiring paper cores, these entire paper rolls are also reclaimed.
One method of reclaiming the paper remaining on a paper core is to simply manually cut it off the metal or cardboard core with a sharp knife or razor. The paper is then hand fed into a hammer mill which shreds the paper. The shredded paper is subsequently baled and sold to a paper recycler. This process is labor intensive and can be hazardous to workers. Further, it is not practical for reclaiming entire paper rolls.
FIG. 1 shows a device used to reclaim paper from the paper cores. Referring to FIG. 1, the paper core is placed in the cradle between the two unwinding rollers 1 and 2. The leading edge of the paper is pulled off the core by hand and is stuffed in an opening 3 in the paper unwinding wheel 5. A foot pedal control (not shown) activates the drive motor 7. By means of a pulley and wheel assembly 9, the drive motor 7 rotates the unwinding wheel 5 in the direction shown by the arrows. The paper from the paper core winds around the unwinding wheel 5 as it rotates. When the paper is near its end, the paper core must be manually held down against the unwinding rollers 1 and 2 to prevent it from being pulled out of its cradled position. When all the paper is removed, the empty metal or cardboard cylinder is removed and the process is repeated with another expiring core. Once about one-eight of an inch of paper accumulates on the unwinding wheel 5, the device is stopped, and the paper is manually cut off the unwinding wheel 5 with a knife or razor. The paper is then hand fed into a hammer mill for shredding. The shredded paper is subsequently transferred to a baler. About twenty expiring paper cores an hour can be salvaged by one person with this device.
It would be very advantageous to provide an apparatus which strips material, such as paper, from nearly expired material cores quickly and cost effectively. A great advantage would be realized by providing an apparatus which strips several material cores simultaneously. A further advantage would be provided by an apparatus which obviates the need for manually cutting the paper from either the expiring material core or an unwinding wheel. This advantage would reduce injuries in the work place. A still further advantage would be provided by a apparatus which can be operated by one person to strip from one hundred to one hundred fifty material cores per hour. Another and important advantage would be realized by an apparatus which efficiently strips entire or almost entire paper rolls.